Established 1961 27 Sports Thursday, June 7, 2018 Russia throws off isolation as it gears up for the World Cup

Twelve sparkling stadiums in 11 cities

MOSCOW: Russia throws open its doors for the World a vote tainted by bribery charges. Russia has annexed Cup in a week’s time, with superstars Cristiano Ronaldo Crimea from Ukraine and defied the West by unleash- and Lionel Messi performing in a country sharply at ing a bombing campaign in support of Bashar al-Assad odds with some of the participating countries. The in Syria. The US intelligence community believes month-long celebration of the world’s most popular Moscow meddled in America’s 2016 presidential elec- sport has been haunted by fears over racism and vio- tion. Its British counterpart says Russia used a nerve lence as well as diplomatic spats. But Vladimir Putin agent in England to try and kill former double agent has left no stone unturned making sure the biggest Sergei Skripal. A doping scandal that got Russia event Russia has seen since Moscow’s 1980 Moscow banned from the Olympics and forced its athletes to Summer Olympics seduces a sceptical world. compete under a neutral flag at last winter’s Twelve sparkling stadiums in 11 cities spanning the Pyeongchang Games completed a picture of relations European portion of the world’s largest country are in utter tatters. Yet Putin has emerged from all this ready after getting their last licks of paint. The host looking as strong as ever. The Kremlin also does little to nation will kick off the action against Saudi Arabia on hide its pleasure at seeing the effective failure of efforts June 14 in the 80,000-capacity Luzhniki stadium in by some in England and eastern Europe to organise a Moscow, the historic crucible of Soviet and Russian diplomatic boycott of Putin’s party. sport, which will also host the final. England will not be sending diplomats or royalty to Brazil’s Neymar has the opening ceremony in recovered from a long- protest over the Skripal term injury to join case. Sweden and Iceland Argentina’s Messi and along with a few others may Portugal’s Ronaldo to fight follow suit by keeping their for the right to lift the tro- Heavy traffic prime ministers and heads of phy on July 15. Almost state home. every second person on of guests at But Kremlin spokesman MOSCOW: Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin attends the presentation of the FIFA World Cup football trophy Earth tuned into the last Dmitry Peskov said he during a ceremony to mark the arrival of the World Cup trophy in Moscow on June 3, 2018, ahead of the edition of the spectacular highest level expected to see a “heavy start of the tournament in Russia. — AFP in Brazil in 2014. traffic of guests at the high- That tournament saw the est level” coming to match- hosts suffer a traumatic 7-1 es. Russia’s problems do begin to avoid getting rounded up. “However, we do goalkeeper Manuel Neuer come back from an eight- beating by Germany in the semi-finals that left a nation not end in the high-brow world of international rela- not have as much confidence in the prevention of non- month absence with a foot problem of his own. He obsessed by football in shock. Eventual champions tions. The bloody beating English fans got at the violent racist incidents (at the World Cup), despite the looked as confident as ever in a 2-1 loss to Austria on Germany and Brazil again top a list of favourites that hands of nearly 200 Russian thugs at Euro 2016 in many well intentioned reassurances,” Fare said in a Saturday. And Russia will be watching with curiosity as also includes Spain and past winners Argentina and France has plagued preparations as much as any dis- report issued last week. Egypt’s emerging superstar Mohamed Salah recovers France. Russia’s chances of doing something special pute with the West. Yet the world’s focus in the final week before kickoff from a left shoulder injury he suffered in Liverpool’s 3-1 are modest. The hosts are the second-lowest ranked Neo-Nazi hooligans who organise mass fights in will not be on politics or Russia’s underworld but things Champions League final loss to Real Madrid. team of the 32 in the final and are riven by internal forests and chant racist slurs at players have lorded like Neymar’s right foot. Brazil’s latest heir apparent to The timeline set out by Egypt’s football bosses sug- squabbles and injuries. over Russian stadiums for years. The anti-discrimina- Pele sparked national panic by undergoing surgery on a gests Salah might be in the lineup against the hosts on Putin counters that Russia will come out tops simply tion network Fare said Russia’s football federation was broken bone near his toe on March 3. The 26-year- June 19. The two nations will likely vie with Saudi by pulling off the most expensive World Cup ever making matters worse by punishing those who reacted old’s return could not have been more triumphant as he Arabia for the second knockout qualification spot in a staged while struggling under the weight of interna- to racist abuse “while ignoring the perpetrators”. scored a fine goal in a 2-0 defeat of Croatia on Sunday group that includes two-time World Cup winners tional sanctions. “The organisers,” said Putin when Security services have either locked up or checked that left even coach Tite stunned. Uruguay. An early exit would spell disaster for Russia- asked to pick this year’s likely winner. in on hundreds of hoodlums to make sure they do noth- Argentina’s troubled preparations took another still waiting to make their first last 16 of a World Cup The West’s penalties are a response to an ever more ing to tarnish Russia’s image in the coming weeks. The knock when their friendly in Israel due on Saturday was since Soviet times. But coach Stanislav Cherchesov aggressive foreign policy Putin has pushed in the eight scare tactics have worked. Some football gang mem- cancelled, drawing the fury of the Israeli organisers. said he was “confident” his men would do well years since securing the hosting rights over England in bers say they will be skipping town once the games Germany will also be delighted to have seen talismanic enough to let him keep his job. — AFP

Uzbekistan get behind WCup’s England shouldn’t top referee settle for second TASHKENT: When the World Cup kicks off in Russia next week, football lovers in Uzbekistan will be roaring on a remarkable referee rather than their best: Sterling national team. Ravshan Irmatov, 40, is something of a LONDON: England’s Raheem Sterling insists noth- contradiction in international football and an unlikely ing less than winning the World Cup in Russia next hero in the central Asian state. month will be satisfactory despite the Three Lions’ Going into the tournament in Russia where at least failure to even progress to the later stages in recent two million Uzbek migrants live, Irmatov has officiated tournaments. more World Cup matches than any other referee in Gareth Southgate’s men travel to their base in history. He is widely regarded as one of the top refer- TASHKENT: A picture taken on March 30, 2018 shows Uzbek referee Ravshan Irmatov (c), 40, warming up Repino, north-west of Saint Petersburg, next week ees in the game. Yet the country he represents has ahead of a local football match in Tashkent. When the World Cup kicks off in Russia next week, former looking to end 52 years without winning a major tour- never graced the sport’s most prestigious event. Soviet Uzbekistan will be roaring on a remarkable referee rather than their national team. — AFP nament since the 1966 World Cup. “They are getting closer all the time. This time they Sterling was part of the England sides that crashed just missed out,” the softly-spoken Irmatov told AFP out at the group stages four years ago and in humiliat- as he warmed up for a clash between the Uzbek pinch myself,” he said. “I didn’t have any yellow or red cards but it some- ing fashion to Iceland in the last 16 of Euro 2016. But league’s third and fourth-placed sides. “Our people Wherever Irmatov goes in Tashkent, Uzbekistan’s how clicked for me. I found that I got a lot of pleasure he rejected suggestions England should be happy with love football and our new president has made devel- capital of 2.5 million people, he finds himself accept- from refereeing.” Uzbek interest in the tournament in progress to the quarter-finals this time round. oping football a priority. I am confident we will see ing requests to pose for pictures and sign autographs. Russia will be especially keen given the huge numbers “No, it won’t be good enough at all, because you Uzbekistan at the World Cup soon, perhaps at Qatar It is a celebrity that seems ill-suited to a man who of Uzbek citizens who live and work there and the rel- want to win it,” he said at England’s pre-tournament in 2022.” exudes hard work and humility. atively low cost of flights between the two countries. media day. “I’m not coming here to spend four, five, six It would not be surprising if Irmatov, who was the At a recent match pitting FC Bunyodkor against a For Irmatov, the dream of making it to Russia with weeks of my life to say ‘let’s see what happens and youngest referee at his first World Cup in South team from the historic city of Bukhara, the announce- his officiating team began the moment the Brazil hopefully last 16’.” Africa in 2010, made it to that tournament, too. Little- ment over the PA system of his name was greeted by World Cup wrapped up. “We had to sacrifice a lot, England captain Harry Kane has also called on his known in Europe prior to 2010, where he tied a a volley of enthusiastic applause. During the tourna- work hard in every training session with one goal: to team-mates to forget the negativity that has surround- record for the most matches refereed in a single tour- ment in Brazil in 2014, the hashtag #IrmatovBest get to Russia,” said Irmatov. ed their predecessors at major tournaments. And nament (five), Irmatov had already been named Asia’s trended on Twitter, as Uzbek users showered praise “Of course the fact that so many of our people will Sterling believes there is enough talent in a youthful best referee two years running by the Asian Football on their compatriot and lobbied-unsuccessfully as it be there and will travel there means that it is a special squad to back up his bold ambitions. Confederation. turned out-for him to officiate the final. opportunity to bring joy to our supporters.” But even “We’ve got 23 players here, 23 good players, very He has now earned that honour a total of five times But Irmatov’s arrival on the world refereeing circuit if their focus will be firmly on the man wearing black good players, and you know we all have the mentality and has refereed the final of the Club World Cup was only made possible thanks to an injury that ended shorts, Irmatov will be doing what he can to stay out to say that we’re going to win the games,” he added. twice, but still looks back on the opening match in his playing career and a surprise induction into the of the limelight. “A referee should not be going out “Every player wants to win the World Cup, every South Africa, where he also refereed a semi-final, with world of officiating during a youth match in Tashkent. onto the pitch trying to be the man of the match,” he country wants to win the World Cup so anything less special fondness. “To be the youngest referee in the “My father was in charge of a youth team and I was said. “First and foremost our job is to preserve the than that is not really a bonus. Of course, you can take tournament and get selected to officiate a match peo- helping him. During one of their games, the designat- image of football. As long as you respect the spirit (of positives out of everything, but you won’t be entirely ple have been waiting for for four years was unbeliev- ed referee did not arrive. My father gave me a whistle the sport) and protect footballers from injuries, they happy if you don’t win it, no.” able.” “I felt like I was walking in a dream. I had to and said ‘Do as best as you can,’” he recalled. will respect you, too.” — AFP Sterling has endured a difficult week of media cov- erage over a tattoo of an M16 assault rifle on his leg. The Manchester City winger explained the tattoo The apparent drift has been linked to a reported in a season marked by clashes with the club’s hierar- references the shooting of his father who was gunned Abramovich, Conte delay in the renewal of a British visa for Russian bil- chy. And cost-cutting is at the heart of the uncertainty down in Jamaica when the Manchester City winger lionaire Abramovich, who has bankrolled Chelsea’s engulfing Chelsea at the moment, with the West was just two years of age. uncertainty clouds success since taking over the club in 2003. Londoners reluctant to pay Conte a reported £9 mil- Adding to Sterling’s woes, he was forced to apolo- It follows a diplomatic crisis between London and lion ($12 million, 10 million euros) in compensation for gise to his team-mates after turning up to England’s Moscow over the poisoning of a former Russian dou- the final year of his contract. training camp a day late following a flight mix-up on Chelsea future ble agent and calls from some for sanctions that The same goes for attempts to lure Sarri to his way back from holiday and was then booked for would hurt super-rich Russians sheltering their wealth Stamford Bridge. Despite Ancelotti’s appointment, diving in Saturday’s 2-1 friendly win over Nigeria. LONDON: With their Premier League rivals already in London. Abramovich has been granted Israeli citi- Sarri has not been released from his contract, which However, Sterling has been publicly backed by his strengthening for next season, Chelsea risk losing fur- zenship and taken up residence there, according to runs until 2020, meaning Chelsea would need to meet manager Gareth Southgate and been handed the num- ther ground as uncertainty swirls over the future of Israel’s ambassador to Russia. his eight-million-euro release clause unless a deal can ber 10 shirt for the World Cup. And despite the nega- manager Antonio Conte and even owner Roman Chelsea announced last week they had shelved be struck with Napoli. tive publicity surrounding his tattoos, Sterling revealed Abramovich. plans for a new 60,000-seater redevelopment of Blanc has emerged as a leading candidate should he’s had a tattoo of the number 10 on his arm for some A fifth-placed finish just a year after winning the Stamford Bridge due to an “unfavourable investment Conte be dismissed. The former French captain has time such has been his desire to wear that number for league in Conte’s first season in charge meant many climate”. Since Abramovich’s takeover, Chelsea have been unemployed since leaving Paris Saint-Germain his country. “I know I shouldn’t mention it but I’ve got expected the FA Cup final to be the Italian’s last been England’s most successful club, winning five two years ago. a tattoo of it on my arm,” he added. “It’s something I’ve match in charge, despite beating Manchester United Premier League titles, a first-ever Champions League, French sports daily L’Equipe said on Wednesday always wanted to do: wear the number 10 for England. 1-0 to end the season on a high. the Europa League and five FA Cups in 15 years. that Blanc was in prime position for the Stamford “It’s something from my childhood. My two However, more than two weeks on, no decision has However, where they could once outspend their Bridge job after meeting with Abramovich’s close aide favourite numbers are seven and 10, from playing at been made on Conte’s future, with speculation that competition, Chelsea have been gazumped by and Chelsea director Marina Granovskaia. Queen’s Park Rangers in the midfield area. I feel much former Paris Saint-Germain boss Laurent Blanc and Manchester City’s Abu-Dhabi backed wealth and However, whoever takes charge next season faces a more happy wearing that shirt and to be doing that at Maurizio Sarri, who was recently replaced by Carlo Manchester United’s booming commercial revenues. huge task just to get Chelsea back into the Champions a World Cup with my country gives me that huge joy Ancelotti at Napoli, have been lined up as possible A lack of resources and control over what is spent League, let alone making the Blues champions of and feeling I can go and do well.” — AFP replacements. on the squad have been Conte’s consistent complaints England once again. —AFP